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Easy particle physics question

I know this is a simple question.. but i can't get my head around it (self teaching phys)

An omega minus (a baryon with a strangeness -3 and charge of -1) decays into a Pi- meson and a baryon X (strangeness -2 and charge 0).

What type of interaction is responsible for this decay?

The answer is weak interaction, but i always thought that the weak interaction involved either a N turning into a P or vice versa. Any help appreciated.

(Also, for AQA Physics A, do we have to remember all these crazy interactions?)

Reply 1

username1217125

If I remember rightly, strange particles can only decay via the weak interaction, because strangeness does not need to be conserved. The weak interaction allows for the changing of quark 'flavours'.

And yes, you will have to remember several interactions and their Feynman diagrams. For me they included Beta+ and Beta- decay, proton-proton collisions, proton-neutron collisions, and perhaps one or two more.